Saturday, April 5, 2014

Meet Belle and Willow



Meet Belle and Willow, the two new American Black Bears at the Houston Zoo.


Black Bear Cubs

*They were hanging around a bar in the mountains near Maricopa, California when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were notified. The older of the two orphans had made herself right at home and regularly wandered into the bar. A few weeks later, she was joined by another young cub. They quickly learned to paw at the ice cream freezer until someone gave them a treat and even made friends with local kids.


Black Bear Cub

Unfortunately, these adorable baby behaviors translate into a dangerous nuisance as the bears grow up. They were taken to DPW holding facility after their adventures at the bar. Calls were made to different zoos to see if anyone was looking for bears. These two girls gave the Houston Zoo the opportunity to talk about conservation efforts of bears in the wild. No one knows what happened to the mothers of our girls. It is illegal to hunt black bears in Texas, but is legal in other states. The cubs' appearance a the bar coincided with the California hunting season so it is likely their mothers were shot by hunters.


Black Bear Cubs

Historically black bears ranged throughout Texas, but they were largely eradicated by hunting in the early 1900s. The bears are making a come back in Texas. Because it is illegal to hunt them here, they are migrating into the state from neighboring states.


Blcak Bear Cub

You notice that they are called American Black Bears but they are, in fact, brown in color. There are several subspecies of black bears in North America and this difference in coloration reflects the differences in subspecies.  Most of the bears east of the Great Plains are black in color while the bears west of the Great Plains are brown or a lighter cinnamon color.


Black Bear Cubs


*All written information about Belle and Willow from Wildlife published by the Houston Zoo.
Photography of Belle and Willow by me! 


Wishing YOU well and much joy!


Camera Critters



Thank you, Misty!

Thanks to Eileen at Saturday's Critters.


37 comments:

eileeninmd said...

I love bears, they are so cute! Great post. Thank you for sharing your post on Saturday's Critters.. Enjoy your weekend!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HI What a wonderful series of shots of these 2 beautiful orphan bears. glad this zoo took them on. I amazed that all US states do not ban the hunting of these wonderful animals. When will man's pleasure and greed stop before these animals become extinct? Have a great weekend.

Carole M. said...

good to know this pair have been located to a safe-haven

Ileana said...

They are adorable!
Happy weekend!

EG CameraGirl said...

They look so cute when they are young but bit scary when they grow up. These girls were lucky to find a good home even if they are behind bars.

Vee said...

Cute little things... Great pictures! I'm glad that Houston was able to take them in.

sandyland said...

loving that header

TexWisGirl said...

i hope they will have a good life, there.

Willow said...

Wonderful shots and share !
Nice to know i have a bear ~ie cute namesake .
Have a fun weekend,
Willow

Bob Bushell said...

Pretty babies, they are wonderful.

Phil Slade said...

Beautiful, wonderful animals. I bet they pull in the crowds and so help understanding and conservation.

carol l mckenna said...

Great post about the bears ~ so glad they are safe and great shots of them ~ Big cuties! ~ xoxo

artmusedog and carol

Elizabeth Edwards said...

they really do look friendly. but i would never want to meet them on a hike. or meet their BIG mom or dad??! that could be very nerveracking. nail biting experience. ( :

have a great weekend.

Lynn said...

Such gorgeous shots, I am so glad these babies will be cared for..

Irene said...

aren't they wonderful!

Janet Shaw said...

So glad they found a home :)

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I'm glad they found a safe home- it wouldn't take long for them to grow up and be dangerous. They sure are cute.

Unknown said...

They're adorable! I'm so glad they found a home.

Karen said...

They are sweet! I hate to see bears behind bars, but at least they will be well looked after.

Jocee said...

They look gorgeous. I enjoyed learning all about them.

Stephanie said...

Wonderful captures of these bears.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Aren't they cute! I'm glad they're now living in a safe and healthy environment. The bears in Ontario are definitely black.

Anonymous said...

Great shots Snap. These two are quite cute, but I imagine they will be not so huggable as grown up bears. Glad they are safe. xox

Tomoko said...

American black bears at the Houston zoo.......interesting to see them!
We have a zoo in the next city,Osaka. I decided to go there with my camera...though I do not know how many animals are there.

with smile

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I hope Belle and Willow enjoy their new home where they are safe and sound.

Anonymous said...

die gefallen mir mehr als Eisbären

DANKE für die schönen Bilder

mit einem LG vom katerchen

Roan said...

They are so cute. Love watching bears, but really do like to have a fence between us. Nice series of shots and enjoyed reading about them.

Lina Gustina said...

They are awesome critter!
www.1sthappyfamily.com/2014/04/standing-cats.html

betty-NZ said...

What a great story! I'm glad they found a great home. They look quite happy.

ginger@bearbits said...

Those are some terrific photos! The information on the bears is very interesting too.

~ginger

Icy BC said...

They are so playful and cute! I am glad they have a home now.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

What adorable little rascals. I'm sure they delighted people as they visited the bar. Happy they have a new home they are enjoying!

Anonymous said...

They are beautiful.

NatureFootstep said...

very cute! I have never seen any alive. That would have been nice. :)

Martha's Favorites said...

So very cute! Blessings, Martha

Jenn Jilks said...

It's such a shame, isn't it. Our province has just decided to have a 5-week bear hunt. I'm so sad.

Alicia said...

PRECIOSAS FOTOS!!!
SALUDITOS